Ohio Notebook: Solich contract, facility upgrades, Randall assistants, Carbone returns
By Caleb Troop
June 16, 2008
Ohio Notebook
Solich Extension Still in the Works
In mid-April The Athens NEWS reported that Ohio University was close to signing ’Cats football coach Frank Solich, 63, to a three-year extension. Former Ohio Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt expressed confidence the deal would be completed before Hocutt departed.
“I think we are 99 percent of the way there,” Hocutt said at the time.
Fast forward two months, and still no deal has been solidified with the Ohio coach, who is about to enter his fourth year at the helm. Schaus, though, remains confident it will get done.
“There has been progress,” Schaus said. “Frank and I have had discussions about salient points in there, things that are important to him, so we’ve moved further.
“I think when I took the job it was reported that it was like 99 percent done,” Schaus continued. “I’m not sure that’s exactly accurate. There was some excellent groundwork that Kirby and Frank did initially. But there was some more due diligence to be done to getting it closer. Frank has questions and things we come back on.”
Solich made $257,162 last season when the ’Cats went 6-6 overall. In his three seasons in Athens, Ohio is 19-18 under Solich, including a 9-5 campaign in 2005 that sent the ’Cats to their first bowl game since 1968.
“The progress from our standpoint — I would just say that we are very close,” Schaus added. “I feel very confident that we are going to be able to get it done.”
Asked if the deal would be finalized before the Bobcats open the season on Aug. 30 at Wyoming, Schaus sounded optimistic.
“I certainly hope so. That would be a good time frame for us to shoot for because he is going to get very busy at that point.
“I believe in my heart of hearts that it will (get done),” he concluded.
Facility Upgrades on the mind of Schaus
Over the last few years there has been growing discussion about a possible indoor practice facility on campus. While Schaus is still looking to rev up support for such a building that would help a wide variety of athletics programs at Ohio, he said he has other improvements envisioned, too.
“There are other facilities I think that will be considered,” Schaus said. “We are working on some things with the swimming locker room and doing some additional things down the road with softball. We are working on upgrading our training room right here at the Convo. Those are all things on the list.
“Someday it would be kind of wonderful to have additional practice facilities in the Convocation Center,” he continued. “I know at Wichita State we had a two-court indoor practice facility. That was really helpful as a building because sometimes you have sports that have to practice at the same time.”
Randall Looks to Complete Staff
Much of former Ohio women’s basketball coach Sylvia Crawley’s success was due to her outstanding and hardworking staff. Associate head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton and assistant coaches Geoff Lanier and Angelita Forte joined graduate assistant Tiffani Selhorst to make up the four-member support group with Crawley.
New ‘Cats head coach Semeka Randall is looking to complete a staff that will mirror Crawley’s. Randall hired Willis Brown and Karen Hewitt to assistant coaching positions a few weeks ago, and she is currently trying to fill out the rest of her staff.
“She is in the process right now of hiring the last fulltime assistant coach,” Schaus said. “I think that we’ll have that decision solidified as early as next week.”
Randall is expected to hire a third assistant as well as a graduate assistant who will fill a director of basketball operations type of role for Randall.
“Our staff will remain the same in terms of size,” Schaus said.
Carbone Back for 21st Season
Ohio AD Jim Schaus confirmed that Bobcat baseball coach Joe Carbone will be back for the 2009 season. It will be Carbone’s 21st season as head coach. The ’Cats posted a 29-30 overall record this spring, which included their first Mid-American Conference Tournament appearance since 2003.
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